![Atop Empire State- in construction; Chrysler Bldg & [Daily] News in middle foreground. (1931)](http://cdn1.retronaut.co/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Atop-Empire-State-in-construction-Chrysler-Bldg-Daily-News-in-middle-foreground.-1931--199x123.jpg "Balancing on the Empire State, 1920s")
Hans Peter Bovolden sent this image to How to be a Retronaut. Over to Hans:
‘Yesterday Shorpy posted a picture of a Retronaut. The picture was taken in 1911, and clearly shows a boy texting’
…
Thank you to Shorpy
‘Boy texting’, 1911
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Not only is he texting, but that looks like an iPhone 5! Clear proof of time-travelling? I think so!
Errr – if its’ the boy on the extreme right hand side, I’d say he’s more likely to be whittling a piece of wood…
Or is he counting his money, Or he looks at his marbles….
I would say it looks more like he is rolling tobacco…
Doesn’t look like he is texting. Plus, who would he be texting in the past? No cell towers, etc.
He is looking at his pocket watch.
My first impression was that he was rolling a cigarette. In a flashy, one-handed manner too; I used to know people who did that.
Forget the texting, he’s a Wolf Man!
It’s well known that the iPhone 5 will have a time travel app.
He’s clearly trying to get hold of that old lady in the Charlie Chaplin video.
Errr…am I missing something? It doesn’t even look like he has a face?
…………but what’s wrong with HIS FACE?!!!
The key word is he’s TRYING to Text, but he has AT&T and he keeps getting dropped.
why hasnt anyone enhanced
Seriously, either one-hand cig-rolling, or checking a pocket watch.
And anyone calling this MIDDLE-AGED BLACK MAN a “boy” is gonna get strangled with their white robes…
Check the full-size pic from the original source:
http://www.shorpy.com/node/10709?size=_original
checking the time on his pocket watch?
He’s not texting, he’s clearly playing Words With Friends.
I clearly see the iphone in his hand, i can’t believe you guys are so exceptic about it. And i have the app “Time Travel Beta” for iphone, and its great.
I htink he is looking for a signal and saying “What is this…the biggest dead spot ever!?”
I see no evidence at all of any device in his hand. He is probably just looking at loose change. People tend to read to much into things.
Is that Tom Baker in the background?
horses ass, his looking at something in his hand.
How wrong I seem to have been! He IS holding something in his hand! Its clearly a smartphone from 2012 and he is texting ” Get me the hell out of this primative era that Im forced to live in!” Wow I dont know how I could have missed that one!
that’s impossible. he’d need a tower for it to ping off of and obviously, that’s not available in his day. it looks like he has a small book in his hand.
Clearly updating his Facebook status – “Just got pic taken in 1911 LOLZ”